Fire's Trecherous Ways
by frost and fire
Summary: My first fic! Zuko has never had a girl friend, nor did he even care for one. What happens when he shares a moment with two girls. Maybe love dose concure all or causes more problems. Zutara or Maiko.
1. Chapter 1

**Fires treacherous nature**

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Disclaimer:I don't own much just this realy nice icecream...and now its gone...so I own nothing. O.oI didn't know icecream melted that fast.

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**Chapter 1**

**The storm wasn't bad just a bit cold, there was no lighting or thunder just rain. I couldn't feel it, or refused to feel it. In my meditation my mind began to wander to the recurring thought that haunted me. **

**The only way I was going to earn any respect… the only way I was going to catch the avatar was to become a fire bending master. I had to be better than Azula, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get it, I couldn't get lightning bending.**

**Uncle called for me to come back to the cave and have a cup of tea to warm myself from the "bitter cold." His calls went unheeded as I continued stance through stance, blaze after burning blaze. As I got caught up in my training the rain disappeared and there was only fire. If I could have seen my own face and that time I would have turned and fled. **

**As guilt, blame, failure, pain, and lies flowed into my movements they became harsher, quicker. My fire was fueled by emotion though I hated showing it to anyone. Emotion was a weakness so I tried to control it, to stop it. It is scary but sometimes I wish I couldn't feel the guilt in hurting people, in seeing people suffer, but I know that I couldn't live like that.**

**I fell to my knees as they gave while trying to do a sweep kick. My mind came back and I looked at my surroundings the tall trees that had stood peaceful and giving were charred and broken. For a moment I felt sorry for my actions, but then as usual I went back to my bitterness. I had never known peace why should these giant relicts of time get to enjoy it for ages on end. It wasn't fair, the world wasn't fair.**

**I looked down upon my paler than usual almost blue hands. My fingers refused to bend, the joints nearly frozen. It was then that I noticed that I was shaking uncontrollably. The only reason that my teeth did not chatter was likely the fact that my jaw was clenched so tightly I could feel the muscle cramp. Again the world won and I retreated to the refuge of our cave. **

**I found it hard to move, my muscles had cooled too quickly and already they were in pain and it hurt to walk. I stumbled back my knees throbbing and ready to give way and leave me face first in the mud. **

**The moment I entered I saw the concern on my uncle's face. He offered me tea and I ignored him. I didn't occur to me until much later how much I could be hurting my uncle by rejecting his concern for me and treating him like a nuscence. I know I would be lost beyond saving if he treated me the way I treated him. **

**My head hit the soft springy bed that my uncle had weaved from long grass and I immediately fell into a heavy sleep.**

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**I watched my nephew stiffly walk into our cave and throw himself on to the mattress I had made for him. Concern was written on my old face, it seemed worry plagued me more often and fiercer since we had seen the avatar light in the south pole.**

**I looked again at the sleeping face of my beloved nephew. Zuko had been training. As his teacher I had always nagged him to be calm and use his mind to gain advantage over an enemy. Instead he would use his anger as power, he never thought he just acted using nothing but force.**

**I really don't think that he knows what he is fighting for. All he knows is the pride and power that comes with being fire nation royalty. And he would give it all to get it back.**

**I fell asleep pondering the drive of my forsaken nephew.**

**I awoke to the early mooring. It was cool yet and a certain feeling of refreshed serenity spread in the woodland landscape. A perfect time for tea.**

**I rummaged through my bag. To my horror there was no tea. I went into a mental panic. I ran around our camp like a mad man, looking for and remote sign of the earths perfect beverage. Then I remembered the village not far from here. A nice morning walk would be calming, good for ones metal well being. **

**I sat in front of an antique shop singing one of my favorite songs. It was very nice of the owner to let me beg…err perform here. She had said "what would I be if I didn't let an old man do his honest work. Oh! I know" she scowled "I'd be fire nation" then proceeded to laugh I joined in, for effect. And partly because maybe it was true.**

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**I awoke to my uncle's tea kettle whistling. "Were did you get tea uncle?" I asked him sleep still heavy on my eyes.**

**Iroh looked back at me "why good afternoon Prince Zuko… I got this tea in the village to the east of here"**

**"Afternoon?" I muttered to myself. I couldn't believe how late I slept in**

**"Oh and how did you pay for it?" **

**"Begged" the old man answered simply.**

**It annoyed me that we who were once royalty, who ate some of the greatest delicacies in the fire nation now had to bag for stale bread, and the fact that he was perfectly alright with it got me even more angry.**

**I tried to get up but my joints and stiff muscles protested, so the best I could do was sit up to eat some toasted bread with honey I even excepted tea.**

**As I walked through the woods to gather fire wood the battle between Azula and myself kept replaying in my mind. How could she be that good? I was better than most fire benders, I though that I could at least hold my ground against her… but again I was wrong. **

**As I came to the edge of a clearing I heard laughter. It was female and it sounded familiar. I searched my memory but I couldn't place it. **

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A/N: well thats it. the first chapter of my first fic! I would love to hear from who cares enough to review. Tell me if I have Zuko in character. 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: this is itthe second chaper... I would like to thank my reviewers. you all have helped so much. I have to give extra props to beagleluv the bestest editor ever... sniffsniff...if it wasn't for herthis story wouldn't be posible. thank you so much beagleluv you rock. wordscan not describe how thankful i am. ( frost and fires sis: whait i know! THANK YOU! hows that ?)thanks for the parts you added they realy helped.

disclaimer:I do not own anything

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**Chapter 2**

Stealthily I walked toward the laughter carefully avoiding each low hanging branch. They were unmoving, but menacing in the fact than one cry from those dried limbs could mean my capture and humiliation.

As I peered through the bushes to my dismay and utter surprise it was Azula and her two companions Mai and Ty lee. Now the laughter matched a face, it was Mai's. I could see she was laughing at one of Ty lees tricks gone wrong.

Ty lee had been balancing a water jug on a spear on her nose when she had slipped on some loose gravel. The spear impaled the ground in front of Azula. I smirked as a vision of the spear impaling Azula entered my mind. Next the water jug landed on Ty lees head leaving her soaked and on the ground muddy with a huge knot forming on her head.

As I surveyed the scene I thought about attacking them, but soon realized it would be foolish. Another thought occurred: I could at least learn what they were up to. With extra precaution I stole forward until I was close enough to hear the band of girls.

"OkOk, its time to get back to the task at hand." Azula instructed while fiercely pulling the spear from the ground.

"Alright" came Ty lees cheerful voice "so we have to capture your uncle and your brother simple enough so how are we going to do it?"

" Well Zuko will be easy" Azula laughed "but Iroh has, somehow, figured out a way to redirect my lightning. When we capture Zuko, Iroh will come running to save his precious nephew and simple as that we have a trap."

Azula's comment about my capturing being easy infuriated me. I could hold my own against some of the finest trained benders in the fire nation, but just because she was born with a gift her beating me made me weak. I could hear the bark on the tree I was leaning against whistle and crack as heat escaped my fists. Unfortunately that got the attention of the too clever Azula.

The next thing I knew Ty lee was above me in the tree and Mai had some of her wrist darts cocked and aimed at my throat. Mai still had the same look as she did when we were little, but it seemed she was a little more something… I couldn't find the word for it, but she was different. I thought as my eyes took in her new figure.

Azula chuckled as she stalked toward me and held the spear head to my heart (something that she is lacking). I was startled out of my thoughts as I started down the shaft of the spear at the obnoxious face of my sister. " I told you catching little Zuzu here would be easy."

"Don't call me that!" I scowled at her.

"Yes it was easy but far too unexciting" Mai replied. Ty lee just chuckled and muttered something, the only word audible being Zuzu. Azula gagged me and Ty lee and Mai guided me to the camp hands bound in iron. I mentally cursed at myself for being so careless. After a few defiant kicks at Azula and a return slap or two, I found I was locked up in Azula's tank.

Iron bit into my wrists and ankles. My feet and hands were going numb. My shoulders ached with the weight if the cast iron pulling down on them. The door slid open and the dark retreated against the always-triumphant light. The sun, witch I had once taken great gladness in seeing, threatened to blind me. Azula strutted in and closed the door behind her. She sent a flame to one of the lamps and firelight illuminated the cold steel boxcar.

"What's the matter Zuzu you look tired" she mocked "those bindings to heavy for my poor week brother."

"Don't call me Zuzu" I almost screamed… "And Im not weak!" In return she laughed. And in my defiance I stood to prove I still had strength to fight her. She stopped laughing and started at me with the evil eye she was so famous for. "

"You still have too much spirit left." she sneered the last words "I will break you dear brother…" She stalked around me. I could feel the weight of the cast iron on my shoulders threatening to bring me to my knees. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Azula going through her stances. She was lighting bending. I felt fear for a brief second, but that second was enough to break my concentration, and I fell to my knees. The iron hit the floor with a hollow thud, though I didn't know it then that sound would be the beginning of many nightmares.

"Perfect her venomous tone hissed."She sent what appeared to be a lighting whip at me. The pure form of energy hit me right of my spine in a perfectly straight line up my back. My shirt fell to the ground the sleeves slipping down to my wrists. All the muscles in my body clenched painfully. The only thing that prevented me from screaming was that my jaw was clenched unmovable by the electricity. I knew I had to remain conscious and that was the thing I focused on.

"Well this wont do at all how am I suppose to enjoy this without your screams" I barley heard Azula all my concentration was on consciousness. I could feel the blood spill from the burned wound on my back. Azula threw water on me and bent down to were the puddle had formed. She placed her fingers in the water and sent out bolts lighting. The electricity danced through the water as well as my body. It was less powerful and didn't have the same effect on my muscles but the pain was nearly equal. The bluish light danced through the small room. The glow gave Azula a hellish look that reminded me of the blue spirit mask. She kept the voltage the same for five minutes until she stopped and started again she did this three times until my throat was nearly raw from screaming…

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Azulas P.O.V.

"I think I will go back to fire bending," I thought out loud. I produced another whip this time of flame. Another lash landed across the back of my mistake of a brother. This made a symbol similar to an upside-down letter V. And again there were no muscle spasms to stop his cries. His scream echoed through the room. Insanities influence hemmed my laugh as it faltered under my brothers pain driven screams… I let my whip crack once more, but this time he did not scream. He held his breath and let out a small hiss. I was disappointed by this, but the A I had engraved in his back made up for it.

He would bear that scar the rest of his miserable life. I would even say I out did fathers work. I walked over to his side an insane smile upon my face. I kicked his hands from under him. He now laid face first on the boxcars floor. I brought my heavy boot upon his back. I watched my pathetic older brother scream and writhe in pain.

I would be queen of the fire nation and he would be my toy to torment when paper work got to boring. I laughed at this. I lifted my foot and sent a fireball in its place. I shuttered at his scream it gave me such peace. Soon there would be no brother or Avatar to stand in the way of my throne. And to think that this wouldn't have been possible if that idiot of an uncles son hadn't of died.

It wouldn't be long till little Zuzu was broken and the Avatar lay next to him in a fire nation jail cell.

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Zuko's P.O.V

"You're pathetic. Did you honestly believe that father wanted you back?" She cackled and kicked me in the ribs flipping me over on to my back. The pain flared again and I let out a half grunt half whimper. "Even with the Avatar delivered to him He'll never love you. He'll probably find another reason to banish you." she said this like it was funny. "Hell I wouldn't be surprise if he had you assassinated! she said this particularly loud. Tears began to fall down my cheeks and dripping to the shuddering floor below me.

After a pause in words and a crushing blow to my already broken ribs. she shouted in a commanding voice "Get up." I thanked the gods that none of my broken ribs had punctured my heart, and I tried to stand afraid of another foot to the ribs. It was hard but I managed. I had to lean against the wall though it caused me pain it was better than another lash.

"Obedience! Ha-ha How easily you break." she cackled. She sent a flaming punch into my stomach. I groaned and fell to the floor. "Bitch" I gasped I tried to get air back into my lungs. I could tasted the blood in my mouth and felt it drip from the corner of my lips. My comment had infuriated her. She hauled me back up and sent a forceful punch to my face. I felt my head hit the floor and that was my last memory before consciousness left me.

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Mai's P.O.V.

Ty lee and I covered our ears to the horrific screams of our once prince. I knew Azula was cruel. I could never have imaged such pure evil coming from a princess. I felt horror rise through my chest as I heard the crack of a whip and the smell of burning flesh. A new fear arose in my mind for Azula.

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A/N thats all folks! 


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